May I Ask Who's Calling?
by xByakuyaKuchikix
Summary: Steve answers Harry's mobile. He never suspected he was speaking with a dead person, let alone somebody who had been close to Harry. Rated M to be safe. Warning: Major Character Death.
1. Chapter 1

I dreamt this last night. I thought I'd type it up, so I don't forget it. I thought it made an interesting (short) fanfiction. This isn't all there is to it, I might finish it later on today or tonight. It all depends on if I can think up a suitable ending.

Thanks for reading! :D

* * *

Steve walked down the hallway to his apartment door, deep in thought. It took him a minute of fumbling with his keys to realise that the door was already open. Dismissing it as his roommate and boyfriend, Harry, awaiting him or running a quick errand, he let himself in.

"Harry?" No reply. Steve shrugged it off and headed to their shared bedroom to change out of his suit. As much as he loved wearing it, not to mention how official it made him look, there was nothing better after a long day than changing into sweatpants and an old t-shirt.

A quick trip to the small kitchen later, Steve was making his way to the sofa to watch the news. It had taken a while for him to become used to the modern technology, but eventually he'd adapted.

Just as he settled down into the soft cushions, Harry's mobile began to ring.

_Odd,_ Steve thought,_ Why hasn't Harry taken his phone with him?_

Without a second thought, Steve answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, is Harry there?" A woman's voice reverberated through the speaker into his ear.

"May I ask who's calling?" Steve knew better than to suspect Harry of an affair, especially with a woman, but he still wanted to know who was calling his lover.

"Lily Evans," she responded. Something was odd about her voice, but Steve just couldn't place what exactly it was.

"Alright Ms. Evans, I'll let Harry know you've called when he gets back."

"Thank you, Steve."

The line went dead.

_Steve?_ How did she know his name? Could it be that Harry had spoken with her before and mentioned him? Was she an old friend of his from school?

"Steve?" The familiar voice made him smile.

"In the living room, Harry," he called back. A few seconds later a head of unruly black hair appeared and grinned at him.

"Where were you? I saw the door was open when I got back."

"Oh, I was sticking some laundry in the dryer."

"Oh," Steve's reply was muffled by Harry's lips meeting his in an impossibly chaste kiss. The wizard grinned down at Steve, who was still sitting on the sofa. He straddled him and brought their foreheads together.

"So, how was your day?"

"Exhausti-"

Harry interrupted him again with a kiss, this time much less chastely.

"Mm-" Steve pulled his head back. "Someone called while you were gone."

"Oh?" Harry seemed less interested in the call than thoroughly kissing Steve.

"It was a Ms. Lily Evans." Immediately the mood changed. Harry's eyes widened and he nearly fell over backwards.

"_Lily Evans?_ Are you _absolutely _sure?"

Steve nodded.

"Oh _no. Oh no._" Harry looked absolutely terrified. Who was this woman to frighten him so?

"Who is she?" Steve asked slowly, as if talking to a frightened animal. He took his partner's hand just as slowly and squeezed.

"My dead mother."

The shock hit Steve like a tidal wave.

"But-"

"We need to leave."

Steve couldn't say a single word before Harry continued.

"We need to leave _now._"

"Harry, what's going on?" Steve was starting to feel apprehensive.

"Come on, Steve," Harry was halfway to the door, already pulling a jacket on, when Steve reacted. Deciding to trust him now, and ask for answers later, he followed Harry's lead and get dressed.

"Let's go," He opened the door and choked on a scream. Steve caught a glimpse of the figure in front of their apartment door before Harry slammed it shut.

"She's here," Harry said in barely more than a whisper. "_She's here, _Steve."

It had only been a brief glimpse, but Steve couldn't forget the figure's face. The decaying skin and sunken eye, the other of which had been missing, leaving only a black socket. The burnt cheek and chin, the white gleam of a bone on her forehead. The stench that lingered in the air or dead and dying things.

Steve gagged.

Harry's knees nearly gave out.

"Harry?" Steve whispered. "What's going on?"

Before either could say anything else, a thump on the window behind them startled them.

"Oh Merlin," Harry managed, breath coming in frightened gasps.

Steve turned to face the window and felt a scream freeze in his throat. The figure, Lily Evans, _Harry's deceased mother_, was grinning at them from the window.

"Harry, grab your wand." Steve spoke semi-calmly.

"What?"

"Grab your wand," He repeated as he summoned his shield. Harry reached for the cloak hanging inconspicuously with the Muggle coats behind the door, pulling out his wand from the pocket.

"I meant your other wand," Steve's voice shook.

"You mean- ?" Steve merely nodded.

Harry gulped as he pulled a second wand from the inside pocket of the cloak.

Harry hated this wand. It was the wand that was taken from Dumbledore. The wand that had killed Snape. The wand that Voldemort had been after.

_But Voldemort is dead_, he heard his mind telling him.

_My mother is supposed to be dead,_ he thought.

"Now what?" Harry whispered.

"We wait, or we go out and face her – it."

The Gryffindor in Harry spoke up, "Face it." The shot of extra adrenaline those words gave him made his mind think in an uncharacteristically Ravenclaw way.

"I think it's an Inferius."

"A what?" Steve had learned much about the world of magic Harry came from, but the term _Inferius_ was still foreign to him.

"A possessed corpse. A powerful curse."

Steve blinked at his lover, "Like a zombie?"

"Precisely."


	2. Chapter 2

EDIT: Oh wow. I didn't even think of the fact that Harry could Apparate you. So I sat down last night and thought of something to fix that. So here's the 'corrected' version.

(Note: No, the reason they can't Apparate out isn't because 'they were too panicked'.)

* * *

"Wait," Harry said as Steve reached for apprehensively for the doorknob."I can Apparate us to the Ministry. Someone should be able to help us with the Inferius there."

Steve nodded, relieved that they didn't have to possibly fight their way out of the building.  
He took Harry's hand and prepared for the familiar nauseating feeling he accompanied with being squeezed through a straw.

Harry fell to the ground clutching his head.

"Harry?"

"Anti-Apparition Wards," he panted. It had felt like someone had thrust a jagged piece of glass into his mind.

"Shit," Steve cursed. "But why are there Anti-Apparition Wards up around our apartment building?"

Harry shrugged weakly, still feeling a painful throbbing in his head. "I'll send a Patronus to 'Mione."

The latter nodded and took a step back.

Both men flinched as they heard what sounded like fingernails scratch across the windows. Not daring to turn around, Harry took a deep breath and recalled the happiest memory he could think of: his and Steve's first kiss.

He felt a blush rise to his cheeks, completely out of place in the given situation, as he murmured, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

His Patronus had changed from the form he'd had while at Hogwarts. Instead of a proud buck, there was a dog standing before him, wagging his tail and gazing up at him.

"I have a Message for Hermione," the Patronus-dog nodded its head, uncanny intelligence shining in its transparent blue eyes. "Tell her it's important that he comes here, to the apartment complex. She needs to bring her wand. And tell her she needs to send a message back with you, or her own Patronus, explaining to me how an Inferius can talk, because Steve got a phone call from one."

His voice wavered near the end. Steve placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

As Harry's Patronus left, Steve met Harry's gaze. They just stood there for a minute before Harry stretched up to place his lips on Steves. The kiss was slow and thorough at first, becoming steadily more desperate.

What if this was their last kiss? Steve's mind wouldn't stop repeating that idea over and over again.

Eventually they broke apart, breathing heavily. Harry wrapped his arms around Steve's waist and clung to him; Steve followed his lead.

"How long does it usually take for Hermione to send a reply?" Steve half-whispered.

"Never this long," Harry replied hopelessly.

"We need to move, Harry."

He took a deep breath and broke the embrace before glancing up at Steve.

"I love you," he mumbled.

"And I you," Steve smiled at him shakily. "We really have to go now, Harry."

Harry nodded and braced himself.

Steve grabbed the shield he had set down next to the door and reached for the doorknob. His hand rested on it for a moment before tightening.

"Wand at the ready," Harry told himself quietly as he moved to point the thrice-damned Elder Wand at the door.

A second later the door was open and Steve and Harry were out it, gazes frantically sweeping the corridor to make sure there was no Inferius in sight.

Sharing a glance, the pair began to move down the hall towards the elevators, checking to make sure every door they passed was closed and glancing over their shoulders every few seconds to make sure they weren't being followed. The elevator doors came into sight.

The feeling of relief that spread through the duo was short-lived; the lights began to flicker before dying entirely. Harry pressed the button for the elevators repeatedly, hoping that by some miracle the power would come back on.

"Shit," Steve cursed under his breath. "The stairs are that way."

They walked towards the stairwell, continuously glancing back. The shadows now present in the hallway did nothing to stop a shudder from running down Steve's back or the hairs on Harry's neck to stand on end.

"Harry," a barely audible whisper drifted down the hallway. Harry whimpered.

They reached the stairwell without further incident.

The landings were completely shrouded in darkness, as were most of the stairs. Steve looked at Harry and nodded at his wand.

"_Lumos_," the latter said quietly. Immediately most of the darkness disappeared, though new shadows were created by the bright light which shown from the tip of Harry's wand.

The trepidation was nearly palpable as they began descending. Their eyes never stayed fixed on one place for more than a second, afraid that they were going to miss seeing the reanimated corpse of Lily Evans somewhere in the shadows and not see her approach until it was too late.

The smallest noises made both men freeze up and scan the entire visible stairwell before continuing. The pace was slow and arduous. Steve was starting to regret choosing to live on the fifth floor. The descent seemed to take hours.

Finally they reached the last landing. Tearing open the door, Harry's wand at the ready and a curse on his lips, both men breathed a sigh of relief that there was nothing waiting on the other side of the door.

The closed the door behind them. Steve nearly whooped when he saw the Exit sign about the next door on the right. Harry went to open the door.

"It's locked," Harry croaked.

"_Alohamora,__" _he whispered. Nothing. "_Fucking-_"

A sudden burst of blue light startled the two, causing both to take a step backwards. Hermione's otter-Patronus formed out of the flash of light and began speaking.

"_Harry,_" Hermione's voice began, "_What have you gotten yourself into? I'm on my way. I need to stop by my flat and grab my wand; we're not allowed to carry them at the Ministry anymore. The new Inferius curse that some rouge Death Eaters started experimenting with after Voldemort's death enabled their speech. The curse heals the corpse's vocal chords, but still does the same thing as the old curse that you know about. You'll need to use Fiendfyre to destroy an Inferius who is capable of speech. Be careful. I'll be there as fast as I can. Oh, and the person casting the spell should be in the vicinity. Try _'Hominum magicis revelio'_; it should reveal any witches or wizards close enough to cast the curse."_

The words echoed down the hallway. Harry and Steve looked at each other. The former switched his holly wand to his left hand before grabbing the Death Stick from his pocket.

"_Hominum magicis revelio,_" Harry whispered. A thread of light shot from the tip of the wand, which seemed to hum under the wizard's fingers. It formed a trail on the ground below them.

"The person's back the way we came," Steve sounded like he was going to be sick.

"We have to go back," Harry gulped before he managed a nod. "There's got to be another ward set up so that we can't leave the building."

He glanced into the darkness of the hallway, making sure nothing moved before moving to stand on his tip toes and placing a chaste kiss on Steve's lips. Harry put both hands in his right hand, careful to keep his holly wand illuminated, and grabbed Steve's hand with his other hand.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Steve?" Harry turned around on the stairs to see his lover had disappeared from behind him. "STEVE!"

Panic rose in the wizard's throat. "STEVE!"

His bellows echoed through the stairwell. He sprinted back down to the landing to the third floor. Tearing open the door without a second thought. He glanced down the corridor and ran down it, hoping desperately Steve was alright, that Lily hadn't found him. No. That thing wasn't Lily. It had been at one point, but it wasn't anymore. He forced himself to continue running down the hall, his breath coming in huffs and his legs beginning to feel the strain.

He reached the other side of the building and tore open the door to the stairs on that side. He paused before deciding to go back down them another floor.

A blood curdling scream reached his ears and he froze. Even from a distance he could tell Steve's voice.

"STEVE!" Harry bellowed, taking off again in the direction the voice came from: down the stairs. Another scream echoed around Harry and he sped up, taking two steps at a time. He burst through the door to the second floor and skidded to a halt. A trail of blood began just in front of his feet and disappeared into the darkness up ahead.

"_Lumos maxima_!" Harry sent off a ball of light towards the end of the hallway. He swallowed a scream when the Inferius, the corpse of his dead mother. She was holding something in one of her hands.

"Harry, dear, what's the problem? Why do you keep running?" her corpse smiled at him saccharinely, displaying her blackened and decaying teeth. "You boyfriend kept running, too, and now he's learned his lesson."

Harry realised what the Inferius was holding in its hands and vomited into the blood before him.

"Steve can't run away any more, can he? Not when I've torn his leg off," its voice suggested pleasant topics: family dinners, the weather. Harry gagged as the stench of the grotesque mixture of blood and vomit reached his nostrils.

"Why won't you speak with me, honey? Has someone cut off your tongue?" Harry sensed a threatening sense of foreboding behind the pleasant tone.

"_Incendio!"_ he shouted the spell and put all his power behind it. It hit the Inferius and threw it back to the other end of the corridor, where it caught fire and twitched. Harry followed the trail of blood to the room Lily had been standing in front of. A soft moan of pain reached his ears and he yanked the door open.

His knees gave out as he took in the sight in front of him. In the middle of the carpet, which was stained a deep red, lay his lover, missing a leg and what looked like a chunk out of the thigh that was left.

"Steve," it sounded more like a whimper than an actual word. He sank down next to him and cradled his boyfriend's head in his lap, not caring that his trousers were being soaked through with blood.

"Harry," Steve whispered in a barely discernable gurgle.

"I'm here, love," he grasped the other man's hand between both of his. "I'm here."

Harry felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"I love you, Harry." The tears spilled over.

"No, Steve," he sobbed. "Stay awake. Steve, stay with me."

Steve took a shuddering breath and opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Steve?"

The figure before him was completely still. Harry's body was wracked with sobs he tried to hold in.

"Don't cry, darling," Harry screamed when he felt a cold hand grab his hair and pull him up. He kicked at the Inferius and managed to get it to release its graps long enough for him to scramble out of the room. He took off running down the hallway, back the direction he came. Down the stairwell he ran, feeling relief wash over him when he saw the exit door. He slammed his body against it.

It was still locked.

"_Fuck_," he turned and ran back up the stairs. Just as he passed the second floor landing he heard a voice behind him.

"Don't run away, Harry." He thought he could feel the Inferius' breath on the nape of his neck. "Did you forget what happened to Steve because he ran?"

Harry felt his lungs were about to burst when he lunged through the door on the fifth floor and raced to his apartment door.

It was open, like he and Steve (Harry held back a sob.) had left it. Pushing the door open, he strode inside and slammed it shut behind him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He have never been so shocked in his life. Then he noticed the silver trail on the floor, leading to the figure standing in his living room.

The woman smiled at him sweetly, "Just following orders."

Before he had time to react, the red-head charged him and pulled a knife out of her cloak, ramming it into his stomach.

Harry choked up blood.

"W-why?" His voice was less than a whisper. "Why did you do this to me? To Steve?"

The woman merely smiled down at him as he sank to his knees, knife still stuck in his stomach.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter," she drew her wand. "_Avada Kedavra_."

* * *

The power was back on.

* * *

Hermione rushed up the stairs of the apartment building, down the fifth floor hallway, and up to Harry and Steve's apartment door. She pushed the door open and screamed. Lying before her were two corpses. One of them, her best friend; his unruly black hair was matted with blood, his glasses smashed into the side of his face by the carpet, and his hands curled around the knife buried in his midsection. The other the corpse of her husband's sister.

She noticed the note crumpled in her hand and pulled it out carefully. It was written in blood.

_To whichever witch or wizard finds this first:_

_My name was Ginny Weasley. I killed Harry Potter. I created an Inferius, which killed Steve Rogers, who is lying in room 207 of this apartment building. The Inferius is lying somewhere in the eastern stairwell. I must have been Imperius'd. I had memories of doing these things, but they felt wrong somehow. Or was I just insane?  
_

_I remember putting up Anti-Apparation wards and a Muggle Repellant Charm and warding the doors from the inside. I remember creating the Inferius and having it call Harry Potter's mobile phone. Then I ordered it to kill both of them. I came here to watch the events unfold.  
_

_Ginny Weasley_

_P.S. Tell my family I loved them._

Hermione's tears fell onto the letter as she sank to her knees beside her deceased friends.

If only she hadn't had that damned meeting at the Ministry, she might have been here in time to save them.

* * *

So what'd you think? It's my first piece of 'horror' literature.

Thank you so much for reading (and reviewing) this!

I'd love to have some constructive criticism. I might write some more horror sometime. :)


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